One in 10 sausages 'carries risk of hepatitis E virus'

[JimC]

It's a shame that the world couldn't make proper use of food irradiation.
I know it's human nature that it would inevitably be abused for fraud and selling manky shit to the public.

But this is just the sort of thing that irradiation could really be good for. The cost per pack of sausages would be absolutely minuscule. Same with chickens and turkeys. And if the packaging was high quality, it would give it a much better shelf-life.

Radiation can cause chemical changes, increasing the number of free radicles for example, which could be potentially carcinogenic. This doesn't matter in the case of bandaids, for example, which are not going to be consumed, but it could be an issue for foodstuffs.

[mistermack]

It's a shame that the world couldn't make proper use of food irradiation.
I know it's human nature that it would inevitably be abused for fraud and selling manky shit to the public.

But this is just the sort of thing that irradiation could really be good for. The cost per pack of sausages would be absolutely minuscule. Same with chickens and turkeys. And if the packaging was high quality, it would give it a much better shelf-life.

Radiation can cause chemical changes, increasing the number of free radicles for example, which could be potentially carcinogenic. This doesn't matter in the case of bandaids, for example, which are not going to be consumed, but it could be an issue for foodstuffs.

I haven't heard that. Not that that means much. But didn't find a mention in wiki. :

This treatment is used to preserve food, reduce the risk of food borne illness, prevent the spread of invasive pests, delay or eliminate sprouting or ripening, increase juice yield[citation needed], and improve re-hydration[citation needed]. It is permitted by over 50 countries, with 500,000 metric tons of foodstuffs annually processed worldwide.[citation needed]
Food irradiation is criticized because irradiation can initiate chemical changes that are different than those that occur when heating food (Unique Radiolytic Products). Some people worry that there is the potential of danger from these substances.[citation needed] Research has discovered that one family of chemicals is uniquely formed by irradiation, and this product is nontoxic. When heating food, all other chemicals occur in a lower or comparable frequency.[2][3][4][5]